This invention generally relates to techniques for broadcasting information through a wide area network of computers. More particularly, the present invention provides a method and device for inserting a targeted advertisement based upon a user profile through streaming audio. Merely by way of example, the present invention is implemented using a personal computer, but it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability. The invention can be applied to other computing devices, such as cellular phones, internet appliances, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, set top boxes, television, and the like.
A long time ago, music could only be heard at a live performance. Here, a performer would stand in front of an audience and sing a piece in a manner to please the audience. xe2x80x9cStar Spangled Bannerxe2x80x9d would echo out to the audience. The live performer could only sing so loud to carry his/her audio signals out to the audience. Only a limited number of people could actually enjoy and listen to the performer at the live performance. One would find the performer in a park or theater singing a musical piece to a limited number of people. Musicians who played instruments could also be heard only at a live performance. Sounds from piano, trumpets, and drums would ring out! The beat of drums! Piano keys! Ring from trumpets sound out!-only as far as the sounds travel through air. Accordingly, only live performances could be used for people to enjoy music.
As time progressed, radio replaced, in part, some aspects of the live performances. Radio uses a wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electric waves, which travel through air. By way of radio, audio information from sounds or songs would be transmitted from a broadcasting station to numerous radio receiving units, commonly called radios. These radios would tune into one of a plurality of broadcasting stations, which transmitted audio information from the station to each of the radios within a specific geographic region. High school students tuned into stations on a frequency modulated format called xe2x80x9cFMxe2x80x9d to listed to jazz, rock, country, and pop music. Amplitude modulated formats, commonly called xe2x80x9cAM,xe2x80x9d often transmitted signals more efficiently over longer distances than FM. Since the electronic waves traveled through air, transmission distance was still limited, often to geographical regions.
In the 1990""s, computers were coupled to each other through a world wide area network, commonly the Internet. The Internet revolutionized communication throughout the world. These computers began carrying audio information from a source location to a destination or client. Some source locations began transmitting audio information in the form of songs or sounds to destination locations. Unfortunately, most of these source locations failed to provide an easy to use interface device, which allowed users to freely use such audio information. For example, most of these tuners were software based and had to be accessed through the browsing device, which was cumbersome and difficult to use in some conventional devices.
Most of these source were also music content only. That is, music could be played at the client location, but additional information could not be sent from the source location to the destinations. In some examples, where there were additional information, such information was provided into the streaming audio media through manual processing techniques. These manual processing techniques often required conventional editing tools and the like, which were often cumbersome and difficult to perform efficiently.
From the above, it is seen that an improved way to transmit and control radio station information is highly desirable.
According to the present invention, a technique including a method and device for streaming audio output is provided. More particularly, the invention provides a method and device for inserting targeted advertisement into streaming audio at a client location such as a personal computer. The invention also can be applied to other types of client devices such as personal digital assistants, internet appliances, internet radio, cellular phones, and the like.
In a specific embodiment, the invention provides a method for inserting advertisements into streaming audio for transmission over a world wide network of computers. The method includes transmitting audio data from a first server location to a client location. The method also includes inserting an advertisement into the audio data while simultaneously reducing an audio volume level of the audio data and simultaneously outputting the audio data and the advertisement where an advertisement volume level is selected for a user to hear the advertisement while playing the audio data in a song format as background noise. The advertisement, which is one of a plurality of advertisements, is based upon a user profile to provide a targeted advertisement to the user. The advertisement has been based upon a user profile. The user profile can be derived from a selected channel (e.g., jazz, rock, blues, Japanese, French) and other factors, e.g., geography, user registration information (e.g., sex, age).
In an alternative specific embodiment, the invention provides a system for inserting a targeted advertisement into streaming audio. The system comprises a memory or memories, which includes one or more computer codes for carrying out the functionality described herein. The memory has a code directed to transmitting audio data from a first server location to a client location through a wide area network. The memory also has a code directed to inserting an advertisement into the audio data while simultaneously reducing an audio volume level of the audio data and simultaneously outputting the audio data and the advertisement where an advertisement volume level is selected for a user to hear the advertisement while playing the audio data in a song format as background noise. Other codes can also be available to carry out the functionality described herein.
Many benefits are achieved by way of the present invention over conventional techniques. For example, the present invention can be implemented on conventional hardware in an easy manner in some embodiments. The invention can also be used to provide targeted advertisements and/or messages to a specific client user. In other aspects, the invention allows a user to receive targeted information in an easy and cost effective manner. Depending upon the embodiment, one or more of these benefits may be achieved. These and other benefits will be described in more throughout the present specification and more particularly below.